Leather lace skiver



June 7, 1949. E. GRIMES LEATHER LACE SKIVER Filed June 28, 1948 Patented June 7, 1949 UNITED STATES QFFICE 12 Claims.

This invention relates to a leather lace skiver.

The main objects of this invention are:

First, to provide a leather lace skiver adapted to cut the under libre off leather lace to make the lace relatively very thin to facilitate readily lacing the same around leather edges in various leather craft items such as womens purses, billfolds, wallets and the like and when so laced producing a protective and highly ornamental beading for such edges.

Second, to provide leather lace skiver of the type above described which may be readily adjusted to produce laces of different thicknesses suitable for various leather craft articles.

Third, to provide a skiver of the type above described which is eicient in operation and which may be very economically produced.

Objects relating to detail and economies of the invention will appear from the description to follow. The invention is dened and pointed out in the claims.

A preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of the skiver, this view also showing a lace in the skiver having its inner fibre side cut away.

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view of the skiver on the line 2-2 of Fig. 4.

Fig. 3 is a vertical longitudinal section corresponding to that of Fig. 2 showing a detail including the cutting blade and associated parts on a greatly enlarged scale, the View also showing the lace and the same being skived.

Fig. 4 is a transverse vertical section of the skiver on the line 4 4 of Fig. 2.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail top plan View of that portion of the base of the skiver, which supports the cutting blade.

In the embodiment of the invention illustrated the numeral I designates the base member of the skiver, which may be made of aluminum, plastic or any other suitable material. The upper surface of the base is provided with a transverse recess or depression 2 having intermediate the side edges 3 thereof a convexedly curved portion 4 constituting means for supporting the cutting blade 5 thereon. This blade is provided with the opposite cutting edges 6 and l' and is made of a relatively thin flat resilient sheet metal adapted to be resiliently flexed into a curved cutting position over the convex raised portion Il and held in such position by the guard plate 8. Headed screws 9 extend through the openings I0 in the guard plate and are screw threaded into the openings I2 in the base member I. By adjustment of the screws 9 the degree of curvature of the cutting blade 5 may be varied, the inherent resiliency of the blade at all times retaining the blade against the bottom wall of the guard plate during such adjustments.

A lace supporting spring I3 supports a lace I4 in cutting relation to the edge 6 of the cutting blade. This spring is disposed in an upwardly opening groove or elongated recess I5 extending longitudinally in the upper face of the base member I and is secured in the rforward end of the groove by means of the headed screw I5 threaded into the base member. An adjusting screw Il provided with a knurled head I8 is threaded through the opening I9 in the bottom wall 2) of the groove I5 and engages the lower surface of the lace supporting spring to vertically adjust the same against the tension of the spring to different positions relative to the cutting edge 6 of the blade whereby the thickness of the lace may be varied.

The guard plate 8 is provided in the front edge thereof with laterally spaced lace guiding recesses 2| and 22 of different widths, the recess 2| being for a lace of one width and the recess 22 being for a lace of a narrower width. Obviously the number of these lace guiding recesses of different widths may be increased. The side walls 23 and 24 of the recess 2| guidingly engage the opposite side edges of the lace I4 and the rear wall 25 of this recess guidingly engages the lower surface of the cut ol portion 26 of the lace. The guiding recess 22 is similarly provided with guiding walls. When the edge 6 of the blade becomes dull the blade may be reversed and the edge 'I used instead.

Grooves 21 and 28 are provided in the upper surface of the base member I forward the front end of the spring receiving groove I5, for guiding laces towards the guiding recesses 2l and 22 respectively in the guard plate 8.

In operation, the base member is held in one hand and the lace is drawn through the skiver against the edge 6 of the blade with the other hand, a suitable tension if desired may be put on the lace by pressing downwardly with the hand on the lace I4 either in the groove 21 or on top of the lace supporting spring I3, while the lace is being pulled through the skiver.

The construction above described is adapted for the ready and eiiicient production of very thin laces, for example down to 1/54 of an inch in thickness and less, such thin laces being very desirable in the production of highly ornamental bead-like lace protective edgings for various articles such as Womens purses, bill-folds, wallets and the like.

I have illustrated and described my invention in a very practical embodiment thereof. I have not attempted to illustrate or describe other embodiments or adaptations as it is believed that this disclosure will enable those skilled in the art to embody or adapt my invention as may be desired.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A leather lace skiver comprising a base mernber having an elongated recess in the upper surface thereof, a lace supporting spring fixedly mounted in said recess, an adjusting screw threaded into said base member for vertically adjusting said spring against the resiliency thereof, a resilient cutting blade having a cutting edge disposed transversely of said groove above said lace supporting spring, said cutting blade being of flat relatively thin resilient flexible metal, and means on said base member for flexing the cutting edgeA portion of the blade downwardly and holding said edge portion in a downwardly flexed position during the lace slriving operation, said means including an upwardly curved portion on the base member for supportingly engaging the lower surface of the blade, a guard plate having a lower curved wall engaging the upper surface of the blade, and adjusting screws threaded into the base member and extending through the guard plate and blade for adjusting the guard plate toward said upwardly curved portion, against the resiliency of said blade.

2. A leather lace skiver comprising a base member having an elongated recess in the upper surface thereof, a, lace supporting spring ilxedly mounted in said recess, an adjusting screw threaded into said' base member for verticalh7 adjusting said spring against the resiliencj7 thereof, a resilient cutting blade havingk a cutting edge disposed transversely of said groove above said lace supporting spring, said cutting blade being of flat relatively thin resilient flexible metal, andv means on said base member for flexing the cutting edgeportion of the'blade downwardly and holding said edge portion in'a downwardly flexed position during the lace sk iving operation.

3. A leather lace skiver comprising a base member, means associated with said base member for guiding a lace, a resilient blade having a cutting edge disposedaboveand transversely of said lace guiding means, said blade being of relatively thin resilient flexible metal, an upwardly curved member on said base member forv supportingly engaging said blade, a guard member. having a' lower curved surface for engaging the upper surface of said blade, and means for adjusting said guard member towards and from said upwardly curved member against the resiliency of said bladeV to adjust the cutting edge of the blade towards and from the lace being fed against the cutting edge, saidv guard member being recessed in the forward edge thereof to guidingly engage the portion of the lace cut away by said cutting edge.

4f. A leather lace skiver comprising a base member, means associated with said base member for guiding a lace, a resilient blade having a cutting edge disposed above and transversely of said lace guidingl means, said blade being of relatively thin resilient flexible metal, an upwardly curved member on said' base member for supportingly engaging said blade, a guard member having a lower curved surface for engaging the upper surface of said blade, and means for adjusting said guard member towards and from said upwardly curved member against the resiliency of said blade to adjust the cutting edge of the blade towards and from the lace being fed against the cutting edge.

5. A leather lace skiver comprising a base member, a blade having a cutting edge, said blade being of relatively thin resilient flexible metal to facilitate flexing' the same, a convexedly curved member on said base member for supportingly engaging said blade, a guard member having a curved surface for engaging the side of said blade opposite from said convexedly curved portion, and means for adjusting said guard member towards and from said convexedly curved member to adjust the cutting edge of the blade towards and from the lace, said guard member being provided with means adjacent the forward edge thereof for guidingly engaging the portion of the lace cut-off by said blade.

6. A leather lace skiver comprising a base mem ber, a blade having a cutting edge, said blade being of relatively thin resilient flexible-metal to facilitate flexing the same, a convexedly curved member on said base member for supportingly engaging said blade, a guard member having. a curved surface for engaging the side of said blade opposite from said convexedly curved portion, and' means for adjusting said guard member towards and from said convexedly curved member to adjust thev cutting edge of the blade. towards and from the lace.

7. A leather lace skiver comprising a base member having a groove in the upper surface thereof, a lace supporting spring' disposed adjacent the bottom of said groove, a bladehaving a cutting edge disposed adjacentthe top of the' groove and' transverselyl thereof, andan adjusting screw threaded through theV bottom. Wall ofl the groove and engagingly supporting the bottom surface of the spring to adjust the spring against the resiliency thereof towards and from the cutting edge of the blade to vary the thickness of the lace, and means disposed abovel said Spring' and adjacent the cutting edge of the blade f'or guidingly engaging the side edges of thelace.v

8. A leather lace skiver comprisingV a base' member having a groove in the upper surface thereof, a lace supporting spring disposed' ad-` jacent the bottom of said groove, a bladehaving a cutting edge disposed adjacent the top of' the groove and transversely thereof, and any adjusting screw threaded through the bottom Wall of the groove and'v engagingly supporting the' bottom surface of the spring to adjust the spring against the resiliency thereof towards and? from the cutting edge of the blade to vary the thickness of the lace.

9. In a leather lace shiver, a base member having an elongated lace guiding recess, an elongated lace supporting spring ilxedly disposed in and extending longitudinally of said recess, a blade having a cutting edge disposed'transversely of said recess and means mounted on said base member for adjusting said spring against the resiliency thereof towards and from the cutting edge of the blade to vary the thickness of the lace.

l0; In a leather lace skiver, a base member, means associated with saidbase member for supporting a lace while being fed relative to the base member, a resilient blade having' oppositely disposed cutting` edges disposed transversely-I of the direction of movement of the lace on said supporting means, said blade being of fiat relatively thin resilient sheet metal to permit the same to be flexed into a curved position and means on said base member for holding said blade in a curved flexed position with the opposite cutting edge portions thereof inclined towards the lace on said supporting means.

11. In a leather lace skiver, a base member, means associated With said base member for supporting a lace While being fed relative to said base member, a blade having a cutting edge disposed transversely of the direction of movement of the lace on said supporting means, said blade being of at relatively thin resilient sheet metal to permit the same to be resiliently ilexed into a curved position, and means supported by said base member for holding said blade in a curved iiexed position With the cutting edge portion thereof inclined towards the lace on said supporting means.

12. A leather lace skver comprising a base member having an elongated recess, an elongated lace supporting spring extending longitudinally of the recess adjacent the bottom thereof, a blade having a cutting edge disposed adjacent the top of the recess and transversely thereof, and an adjusting screw mounted on the base member and supporting the spring substantially vertically beneath said cutting edge to adjust the spring against the resiliency thereof towards and from said cutting edge to vary the thickness of the 15 lace.

LAWRENCE E. GRIMES.

No references cited. 

